You are going to hate me for this, but it is very necessary. Enjoy and I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Koori walked through the soft, cold sand. She wiggled her toes as she strolled to get rid of the sand in between her toes. A beautiful candlelight filled a mansion and Koori stared in awe. She smiled when she saw the people on the balcony—she had made it to the right house. She walked to the front of the mansion and made her way up the stairs. She knocked on the door and the tan boy opened it. He grinned at her.
"You're a little overdressed," he said with a slight smirk.
Koori looked down at the kimono she was wearing and then peered in the door. Most of the other guests were wearing casual dresses and some were evening wearing their swimming suit cover-ups. She looked at the boy and he opened the door wider. "I can change?" she said. "And perhaps return later?"
He shook his head. "That's not necessary," he whispered as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. He led her in and the first face that she saw was Zuko's. She blushed; she didn't know if her blood was warming at the sight of Zuko or at the proximity of the stranger beside her. "So, here's the low-down," he said as he leaned against the table in the middle of the room that held food. "You see, my dad is an Admiral in the Fire Nation's Navy and he doesn't know that I'm throwing this party. So, don't break anything." He pointed a threatening finger in Koori's direction and he walked off, leaving the young concubine with a poor threat.
Koori pushed some hair fragments behind her ear. She stared at the crowd and found Zuko, his girlfriend, the Fire Princess and the acrobatic girl. Zuko and his girlfriend seemed tense and the acrobat was fighting off some boys. Koori walked to the side of the room to watch the fiasco. She had not planned on talking to anybody, she just wanted to view how her generation acted.
Suddenly, a loud crash resonated across the room and Koori's attention was pulled to a young man pulling himself off of a broken vase.
"What's your problem?" Zuko's girlfriend asked.
At that remark, Koori ran out of the house before anybody could notice. She sprinted down the stairs, fell at the base and ran across a sandy mountain. She sat herself at the top and looked down onto the house that she had just run away from. Zuko sprinted out, jumped the stairs and landed on his feet safely on the sand. He started to climb the mountain of sand that Koori had decided to sit on and she remained where she was.
She pulled a flower from a nearby rock; she smelled it and hummed a sweet love song that General Iroh used to sing while he made tea. Zuko was cursing as he passed her.
She hummed louder; she didn't know why, but she had been craving the young prince's attention. He stopped at the familiar tune and turned his head.
"Koori?" he asked.
She turned to look at him and smiled. He smiled back but it disappeared as quickly as it came. He sat beside her but huffed out a frustrating sigh.
"I saw you back there," Koori whispered.
He turned his head. "She doesn't understand," Zuko muttered. "Everything that I do for her doesn't matter. She says that she loves me, but I oftentimes wonder if she has any feelings at all."
"Do you love her?" Koori's voice was small and she wasn't looking at the Fire Prince. The flower between her fingers held her gaze. The red, orange and purple blossom in her hand was a variation of a fire lily.
His throat dried instantly. "I don't know. I think that I do."
Koori closed her eyes and looked at him. She dropped the flower and moved her hands so she could stand quickly. "Perhaps I should go. She will probably come looking for you."
Koori stood from the sandy mountain but Zuko followed her. He caught her hand. "You look nice," he said.
The young girl looked down at the kimono. "It's a gift from your father," she muttered.
Zuko hissed and fire escaped his hands. Koori winced when the flame caught her wrist. She drew back, placed her hand over the burn and it healed. Zuko never noticed. In fact, he grabbed the burn and drew her closer.
Koori flinched as his face drew closer to her own. She could feel his warm breath on her shoulders. She froze when he cupped her left shoulder; he pulled her even closer. He closed his eyes as he neared. Finally, their lips met and in that precious moment, they could feel electricity surge through their bodies. Koori woke from her trance, tore their lips apart, and punched him in the face.
He took two stops back to recover from the blow—his face was filled with confusion and desperation. Was he to be rejected two times in a single evening?
Koori's eyes filled with tears as she looked up at the boy who betrayed her. Newfound anger awoke inside her soul. Zuko took a step toward her, but she backed away. She rubbed his burning saliva off of her lips.
"Why would you do that?" she asked. She dabbed at her golden eyes with the back of her sleeve. "Have I given you any impression that I wanted—or needed—your affection?"
Zuko couldn't think. Had he misread her signals?
"Koori—" he stuttered, "I thought—"
"You thought wrong, Prince Zuko," Koori snapped. She glared at him and took another step away from the Fire Prince.
"But, Koori—" he began again.
Once more, the young concubine cut him off. "Prince Zuko, I am sorry if I have misled you, but to be truthful," she paused to take in a deep breath, "I cannot stand your company. You betrayed me, Your Majesty.
"I thought that we had something in Ba Sing Se, but that was all a lie. You brought me to the Fire Nation! Everybody wishes to kill me here. Can you imagine what it feels like to be despised wherever you go?"
She looked deeply into Zuko's golden irises and more tears filled the empty holes in her eyes. They fell out and were quickly replaced. "I had to become a concubine again, Prince Zuko," she choked out his name between her sobs, "Prince Zuko, I had to have sex with a man who has wanted to kill me since I was an infant. Every night, I am promised to a man—and sometimes, I may never know who he is. Imagine how I feel, Prince Zuko. You stole me from my home, my family and my happiness. I hate you."
She turned away from him and sprinted down onto the beachfront. She continued to run to her decaying room. Zuko watched the girl run as anger boiled inside him. Fire flew in every direction as he bolted toward a house filled with happy memories.
Ahh! How could I let this happen?! Please review and tell me what you think. Even if you hate me, please tell me. :)
